Knitting, Botany, Mycology, Nature, Adventure, and Life... in no particular order.
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Back in Block
I’ve been pretty bad about updating the blog here. I’ve got lots to catch up on but I figured I’d come back with my blocking shawl!
The Juneberry in my Magestic Blend Windy Valley Muskox! Merino, Qiviut & Mulberry silk in a lovely lavender color!
It turns out that I needed about 2x as many blocking pins as I have (I added some sewing ones after this) and I think that even without using them that blocking wires must be the best things ever.
So, just in time for Rhinebeck, I’m back!
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Social Netowrking Props →
I think many of us who use Ravelry feel it is the best social networking option (and can quickly become a critical part of our lives). Hopefully the more it is written about the better the owners will do (because they are awesome) and the more small social networking sites will be developed that are actually good.
If you’re not a knitter and want to be I am easily convinced to teach you. (Especially when cookies are involved!)
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Insanity Continues
So on the Saturday before last (Friday night really) I had only this:
And then, earlier tonight I had this:
Those are vintage washable wood buttons from Gather Here in Cambridge and the sweater was knit on size 6 addi turbos in Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sport in the Vera colorway. I got exactly 6 stitches per inch. Every time I think of the colorway I think of this.
Now that I’ve completed 5 Baby Surprise Jackets perhaps I should find another baby sweater pattern I like to knit. Then again, I had to tear out 10 rows to fix a mistake, so perhaps there is still plenty of “surprise” left for me.
In other news, I have 1/2 of a pair of socks knit on my Blackthorn Needles. Mmmm stealth jet needles.
The colors are more vibrant and less washed out and what you cannot see is that I am past the cuff on the next sock and there is 0 bend in the stealth jet needles.
Now if I could just finish the afghan I’m knitting…
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BSJ Extravaganza
So, my Spring has been kinda busy. Like crazy busy.
Last month the fella and I went skiing with a good friend of ours. We drove up to Sunday River where the plan was for the 2 guys to go downhill and for me to cross country ski or skate or sit in the lodge by the fire and drink tea (or something stronger) and read/knit and perhaps even nap.
Turns out a couple things happened.
- Skating rink was closed (which we found out as we were leaving)
- I felt uncomfortable x-country skiing by myself when I don’t really know what I’m doing
- I got caught up in the skiing excitement
So after having downhill skied once, approximately 16 years before, this happened
I took a lesson while the boys went and skied. Our friend is a crazy good skier and my guy has skied only a little so they stuck together and didn’t do anything crazy so no one (my charming man) got hurt. Eventually we all got to ski together! (Technically is was more/harder than I should have done, but I lived with no real injuries, so we’ll call it a win!)
The fella is in blue just past me in the foreground. The gentleman in red is the Dad of our friend, who convinced me that going up the big lift was a good idea, skis like a speed demon, and is wearing the world’s cutest penguin hat. He also makes a delicious Manhattan.
Once recovered from all the fun, and soreness, I got to work on the next BSJ in my queue. My cousins were holing a fundraiser event for the hospice that helped their Mom last year as the cancer became too much. It allowed my Aunt to spend as much time with family as possible and be comfortable. I said I would donate a handknit baby sweater for the raffle. Schoolhouse Press was kind enough to allow me to knit the Baby Surprise Jacket for it since it was for charity and away I went.
About 2.5 weeks later, in Cascade 220 Heritage Paints, the result was this
While everyone who saw it thought it was great, I was not in love. Not my favorite yarn to work with, colors weren’t my thing, but I knew I was just feeling cranky and that it would be great as a gender neutral garment. Then I found the buttons…
Instant sweater love! I purchased everything at the new knitting and sewing store in Cambridge called Gather Here. The buttons are vintage and washable.
It went to a good home and helped raise some money, and in the end I loved it.
Then, I just got a picture from a good friend who had her baby boy with the picture of the sweater I made. The one in Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sport in Turtle Rodeo that I found the perfect buttons for.
And now I need to wind some yarn and cast on for another BSJ I offered to make for a friend at work who is a new Aunt and very excited. Fist one I’ll be making for a girl, and the colors she picked are great. Once I get started I’ll show it off.
For now I better go start my day and try to work on my homework some more. Learning web development has its easy moment and its hard ones, and I’m finding out Javascript assignment to be hard. Working with other people’s code… meh.
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Doozers singing the BEST song…
it’s during the “Radish Famine” so they can’t build. I think they could embrace their new hobby… but the Fraggles would get hungry.
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Happy Notes
- I had a little chrisis with my Juneberry, but I was able to frog back and fix it sucessfully. Qiviuk is fantastic to work with.
- Spring is really here in Our Fair City and in addition to crocuses and those mini-irises I can’t remember the name for I saw some Robins doing their thing. Birds are often right about Spring.
- After a 16 year hiatus I have been downhill skiing again. Yesterday. Not sure I would say I like it more than cross country, but my lesson was very good and I had a great time with the fella and our friend. There will be pictures (note: 16 yeas ago I did a 1 day trip with a 1 hour lesson)
- Ooofa am I sore and tired this morning. Tea, knitting, and perhaps some skating are on the agenda. Alternatively, using the hot tub and taking a nap.
How are you?
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Quick Shots
So I’ve been late in my promise of pictures. To make up for it I’ll post some knitting ones too!
First: Witch Hazel in bloom!
Next: Images from a real first and accomplishment
More on those later… perhaps I’ll even block them and take more pictures.
Then, last night, I started in on something truly stealth while on the bus to NYC
Those are my new Blackthorn Needles, made of carbon fiber, just like the Stealth Jet! In the dim bus and dark backgrounds they felt especially stealthy. If I dropped one it was going to be hard to find.
We made it to the hotel ok and now you can see what I accomplished on the bus besides eating a sandwich!
The colors are pretty close to true there as well. I’ll tell you more about the new socks, the old socks, and the stealth needles later.
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New Project Pull
I’ve been trying very hard to dedicate knitting time to the giant afghan. It’s getting closer to being done and I MUST finish it. We’re reaching lateness of ridiculous proportions.
It’s not super portable, or good to work on when I’m tired, so I have my summer socks I can be working on. (1.6 socks done!)
I did just cast on for a BSJ, but that is for someone’s baby shower and now I need to knit is non-stop. (The shower is Saturday and I have less than 3 inches knit!)
But here’s the thing, even with all those projects I love, and many other unfinished projects, all I can think about it my new lavender qiviuk yarn and the Juneberry pattern. I think about it while knitting other things, while riding the subway, while walking to work, while watching tv, while drinking tea, and I’m pretty sure I dreamed about it last night.
Not sure how long I can resist, but for now, back to the infamous Baby Surprise Jacket pattern… in Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sport in the Turtle Rodeo colorway.
(This is from several days ago, right now we are blanketed in gray and rain/sleet… on top of snow. No good pictures can come of this.)
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Pattern Choice Help
Calling to all of you with opinions! (though I may not listen) I would love some help deciding on which shawl to knit with the yarn I bought myself over the weekend. (Tales of the weekend, NYC and adventure to follow soon.)
I went to the marketplace at the Vogue Knitting Online Live event at the Hilton in Manhattan and walked away with this:
That’s right folks! Qiviuk! (Which is from Musk Ox) This is Windy Valley Muskox’s Majestic Blend. The color is actually pretty accurate and the yarn is actually 15% Qiviuk, 80% Merino, and 5% Mulberry Silk.
So here’s the question, which shawl should I knit?! Originally I thought I would knit the les Abielles shawl. It’s lovely and lacy and a quick knit. Then I noticed that I also could knit the Juneberry Triangle. It calls for slightly heavier yarn, but I think it would be fine. I should have plenty of yarn for either one.
So, who’s got an opinion?! I’m leaning towards the Juneberry, but do like both a lot. Perhaps you have another suggestion entirely (that uses about 650 yards or less of heavy laceweight/light fingering weight yarn).
What d’ya say?
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January 11-12 Storm Complete
Well there’s tiny little flakes here and there, or perhaps it’s just other snow blowing. There sure is enough of it! However, it appears the storm is OVER!
As it was winding down I took these pictures:
It’s a little hard to tell but there is a car just about buried across the street in the first picture.
Now, about 24 hours after the pre-storm pictures we have this:
And the luckiest part of the day…
Having the plows clear a spot for the car I have (borrowed for a week) that I paid to park in the garage. Had to shovel 0%, which my already painful back appreciated.
My real accomplishments today:
- Drinking tea and cocoa and having cookies
- Watching The Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood and Return to Me
- Knitting a whole bunch and am just about finished with the left Druid Mitten. Which, unless is blocks really well will be too small.
First 2011 Nor’Easter: completed.
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Yarn Monster! Hungry for yaaaaarn! (via engadget and sent to me by my “big brother”)
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Knitting Groove is Back
So yesterday morning I was feeling a bit off and the fella, in full vertigo-recovery-style, helped me get my groove back. I hadn’t knit since before Christmas and was having a hard time getting back into it. After all, there were chores looming everywhere.
He achieved this task by having me walk him to the local sub shop down the street so he could pick up lunch and then from there sent me on my merry way into the square to have lunch and tea and knit.
It was perfect out. The sky is that sunny after snow blue, it was almost 40, and everything was still covered in snow! So lovely!
While out at a favorite local coffee shop I cast on for Trilsea’n. (which you may remember the pattern & failed attempt from this post) I still wasn’t using a solid color, which the fella remarked is part of what makes the cables stand out so much on the original, but I just love this yarn!
So, with Earl Gray tea and a Raspberry Crumble bar (no Lindsor Cookies… perhaps I have to make some) I cast on and knit. I knit and knit. Then I picked up groceries, came home and knit. We watched tv and I knit. I flagrantly decided I didn’t want to cook dinner and I knit. We ate Chinese delivery and watched tv and I knit! (oh that fella, he knows my heart!)
So, this morning, after going to be around 10.30 and not yet having knit I have this!
That’s the left mitt finished and the right cast on. It’s Malabrigo Rios (superwash!) in colorway Primavera (859). It’s muted and muddled and has little bits of all the colors of spring but dulled down by grays and browns. It’s super soft and super squishy and I am in love. I used my Brittany needles (cable too) so I am knitting it larger than the large (I’m using 7’s) but I do have very large hands and I think they are perfect.
It’s true, a plain color would let the cables stand apart more, but I am happy with this. Perhaps if I do another pair, or a pair with more cables, I will use solid.
For now, I have another mitt to knit today! Then I really should get back to the afghan, the hat of doom, or figure out what to make to replace the too-small mitts I made my sister a couple years ago. I’m also supposed to be on a knit along to finish my Jared Flood Druid Mittens with my friend Missy. Now that I’m back in the knitting groove hopefully I’ll get my act in gear. Doubt I’ll be done by Saturday thought!
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Hats & Holidays
I managed to get a couple pictures of the hats I made for the Canadian Twins. I made the 10 cable Cabled Baby Hats and love the way they came out. Nice and stretchy and super soft (the Cascade Cash Vero helped with that!).
I also managed to decorate for Christmas on Christmas Eve while the fella was resting. He wanted to help but came down with what the doctor says is a form of positional vertigo. He’s been wicked dizzy non-stop for days now. The highlights have been the dramamine helping enough so he could eat after being so nauseous that he couldn’t eat for about 24 hours or so. The other big highlight is that he was less dizzy for long enough on Christmas Day eve for us to play a quick game of Smallworld before he needed to lie down again.
Decorating was pretty fun. I popped in Holiday Inn… the place where the song White Christmas originated. I put a few decorations by the tv and some of my decorative candles.
I also put some little decorations up by where people come in the front door.
And of course I put the lights on the tree and then put up some of our ornaments. Ornaments from childhood, ornaments gifted by friends and lots of shiny balls and hearts we love.
And just in case it’s hard to see… our tree topper this year (same as last year) that guards it from evildooers.
Hope everyone else has been having a lovely past few days!
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As promised
Some pictures.
In my allergic to beer better become a cider connoisseur fall studies I started taking notes on different ciders I tried and even took a couple pictures. I haven’t documented Wood Chuck (too sweet), Original Sin (nice and tart), or Magners (nice, pink, can only manage 1) but have instead started with larger single bottles.
J. K. Scrumpy’s Farmhouse Cider
1. All cider tasted better in a kntting pint glass. (Same may apply to a Prancing Pony or Green Dragon pint glass. Not tested.)
2. Pretty enjoyable cider. Sweet, tiny bubbles, good flavor, complex after taste. Genesneaky rating: 6 of 10.
I didn’t take a picture of the next one… sorry. Farnum Hill Farmhouse Cider (they have many varieties and so far I like them all). Dry, not sweet, not tart. refreshing. Genesneaky rating: 8 of 10.
Finally, I took some pictures of my finished Flora hat that I mentioned. It is not perfect, but for my first big stranding project (that I knit twice!) I am very pleased.
I’ll leave you with a shot of the afghan on Nov 14th. Not going to be done for Christmas, but now I have < 3 pattern repeats before I need to figure out how to pick up the edge. I also have a whole week off next week. Mua ha ha!
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Lots of Hats
I’ve been delaying posting anything because I want to have some pictures to show, but maybe by posting I’ll force myself to take some pictures.
I worked hard and 2 weekends ago finished the Flora hat in Manos silk blend. I have to weigh the yarn to see how much I used of each. Even going down to a size 5 left the hat a little loose. It’s ok though, no need to knit it a 3rd time!
Last week I spent some time knitting a couple more hats for some new twins who were born in Canada! Twin boys… their Mom is going to have her hands full for the next 20 years or so. I bet it’s going to be grand. I whipped up 2 10 cable baby hats our of a bright Canadian red Cascade Cash Vero on size 8 needles. Very fun project, barely needed to follow the pattern notes, and super squishy yarn. Each hat maybe took 5 hours to do, maybe less.
On the 3rd I also whipped up a little mostly plain baby hat in the same red yarn for friends through work who were expecting a 1/2 Canadian baby. 3-2 rib, crossed them all once, knit the rib some more and switched to plain knit stitch. It seemed pretty small (no pattern, just guessing) but the expecting parents were happy. That little fella came 3 weeks early so hopefully the little hat will be just right.
We won’t speak of the hat for the fella. It is just a gauge swatch again.
Those are all the hats, next time: pictures!
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